U.S. patent number 10,530,842 [Application Number 15/802,028] was granted by the patent office on 2020-01-07 for domain-specific pattern design.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Rahul Ghosh, Hugh E. Hockett, Aaron J. Quirk, Lin Sun.
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United States Patent |
10,530,842 |
Ghosh , et al. |
January 7, 2020 |
Domain-specific pattern design
Abstract
A method is provided for building patterns with high level
pattern topology requirements for deployment across multiple
systems. The patterns are built based on pattern capabilities and
configurations of the multiple systems. Such patterns can meet the
desired pattern capabilities including high availability and/or
continuous capabilities.
Inventors: |
Ghosh; Rahul (Bangalore,
IN), Hockett; Hugh E. (Raleigh, NC), Quirk; Aaron
J. (Raleigh, NC), Sun; Lin (Cary, NC) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
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Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation (Armonk, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
58189498 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/802,028 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180124160 A1 |
May 3, 2018 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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14847074 |
Sep 8, 2015 |
9866626 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
67/02 (20130101); G06F 8/63 (20130101); H04L
67/10 (20130101); G06F 8/10 (20130101); G06F
8/20 (20130101); G06F 8/71 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
9/455 (20180101); G06F 9/445 (20180101); H04L
29/08 (20060101); H04L 12/24 (20060101); G06F
8/61 (20180101); G06F 9/44 (20180101); G06F
8/71 (20180101); G06F 8/10 (20180101); G06F
8/20 (20180101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Fischer et al., Engage: a deployment management system, 11 pages
(Year: 2012). cited by examiner .
Jamshidi et al., "Cloud Migration Patterns: A Multi-cloud Service
Architecture Perspective", Service-Oriented Computing--ICSOC 2014
Workshops, Conference paper, pp. 6-19,
<https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-22885-3_2>.
cited by applicant .
Lu et al., "Pattern-Based Deployment Service for Next Generation
Clouds", 2013 IEEE Ninth World Congress on Services, Santa Clara,
CA, USA, Jun. 28-Jul. 3, 2013, pp. 464-471,
<http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6655736/>. cited by
applicant .
Ng et al., "Toward Effective Deployment of Design Patterns for
Software Extension: A Case Study", WoSQ '06, Proceedings of the
2006 International Workshop on Software Quality, Shanghai, China,
May 21-21, 2006, pp. 51-56,
<https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1137713>. cited by
applicant .
List of IBM Patents or Patent Applications Treated as Related.
Filed Herewith. 2 pages. cited by applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Dao; Thuy
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Yoder; Stephen R.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method comprising: receiving an indication to deploy a first
deployment pattern in a subdomain, the first deployment pattern
including a model of a topology, a corresponding application
environment, and a set of desired capabilities, the subdomain
including a plurality of systems; responsive to the indication to
deploy the first deployment pattern, analyzing characteristics
specific to each system of the plurality of systems, the
characteristics including one or more of the following: capability,
geographic location, and capacity; generating a set of proposed
deployment patterns such that each proposed deployment pattern
complies with the set of desired capabilities of the first
deployment pattern, the set of proposed deployment patterns
including a subset of systems having characteristics that comply
with the set of desired capabilities according to the analysis of
characteristics specific to each system; selecting the proposed
deployment pattern from the set of proposed patterns to be
implemented; receiving, from a user, a customization to the
proposed deployment pattern to generate a custom deployment pattern
deploying the custom deployment pattern across the plurality of
systems in the subdomain; wherein: the set of desired capabilities
of the first deployment pattern include one or more of the
following: high availability, continuous availability, disaster
recovery, scaling, colocation policies per component, and
anti-colocation policies per component.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the components in the first
deployment pattern include one or more of an application and
integration middleware, a database server, and a hypertext transfer
protocol (HTTP) web server.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of systems includes
an on-premise system and a public cloud computing system
provider.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired capabilities further
include an indication of an active, passive, or standby
configuration.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: analyzing the custom
deployment pattern to ensure the customization meets the set of
desired capabilities.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first deployment pattern
includes installation of middleware and applications, configuration
of middleware and applications, and management of middleware and
applications.
7. A computer program product comprising a computer readable
storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions that,
when executed by a processor, cause the process of building a
deployment pattern for a subdomain by: receiving an indication to
deploy a first deployment pattern in a subdomain, the first
deployment pattern including a model of a topology, a corresponding
application environment, and a set of desired capabilities, the
subdomain including a plurality of systems; responsive to the
indication to deploy the first deployment pattern, analyzing
characteristics specific to each system of the plurality of
systems, the characteristics including one or more of the
following: capability, geographic location, and capacity;
generating a set of proposed deployment patterns such that each
proposed deployment pattern complies with the set of desired
capabilities of the first deployment pattern, the set of proposed
deployment patterns including a subset of systems having
characteristics that comply with the set of desired capabilities
according to the analysis of characteristics specific to each
system; and selecting the proposed deployment pattern from the set
of proposed patterns to be implemented; receiving, from a user, a
customization to the proposed deployment pattern to generate a
custom deployment pattern deploying the custom deployment pattern
across the plurality of systems in the subdomain; wherein: the set
of desired capabilities of the first deployment pattern include one
or more of the following: high availability, continuous
availability, disaster recovery, scaling, colocation policies per
component, and anti-colocation policies per component.
8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the components
in the first deployment pattern include one or more of an
application and integration middleware, a database server, and a
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) web server.
9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the plurality
of systems includes an on-premise system and a public cloud
computing system provider.
10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the desired
capabilities further include an indication of an active, passive,
or standby configuration.
11. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:
analyzing the custom deployment pattern to ensure the customization
meets the set of desired capabilities.
12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the deployment
pattern includes installation of middleware and applications,
configuration of middleware and applications, and management of
middleware and applications.
13. A computer system comprising: a processor(s) set; and a
computer readable storage medium; wherein: the processor set is
structured, located, connected and/or programmed to run program
instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium; and
the program instructions include program instructions programmed
to: receive an indication to deploy a first deployment pattern in a
subdomain, the first deployment pattern including a model of a
topology, a corresponding application environment, and a set of
desired capabilities, the subdomain including a plurality of
systems; responsive to the indication to deploy the first
deployment pattern, analyze characteristics specific to each system
of the plurality of systems, the characteristics including one or
more of the following: capability, geographic location, and
capacity; generate a set of proposed deployment patterns such that
each proposed deployment pattern complies with the set of desired
capabilities of the first deployment pattern, the set of proposed
deployment patterns including a subset of systems having
characteristics that comply with the set of desired capabilities
according to the analysis of characteristics specific to each
system; and select the proposed deployment pattern from the set of
proposed patterns to be implemented; receive, from a user, a
customization to the proposed deployment pattern to generate a
custom deployment pattern deploy the custom deployment pattern
across the plurality of systems in the subdomain; wherein: the set
of desired capabilities of the first deployment pattern include one
or more of the following: high availability, continuous
availability, disaster recovery, scaling, colocation policies per
component, and anti-colocation policies per component.
14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the components in the
deployment pattern include one or more of an application and
integration middleware, a database server, and a hypertext transfer
protocol (HTTP) web server.
15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of
systems includes an on-premise system and a public cloud computing
system provider.
16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the desired
capabilities further include an indication of an active, passive,
or standby configuration.
17. The computer system of claim 13, the program instructions
further including program instructions programmed to: analyze the
custom deployment pattern to ensure the customization meets the set
of desired capabilities.
18. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the first deployment
pattern includes installation of middleware and applications,
configuration of middleware and applications, and management of
middleware and applications.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to the field of cloud
computing and service, and more particularly to pattern design.
Cloud computing, often referred to as simply "the cloud," is the
delivery of on-demand computing resources--everything from
applications to data centers--over the Internet on a pay-for-use
basis. The cloud may include a public cloud, a private cloud,
and/or a hybrid cloud. A public cloud is owned and operated by
companies that offer rapid access over a public network to
affordable computing resources. A private cloud is infrastructure
operated solely for a single organization, whether managed
internally or by a third party, and hosted either internally or
externally. A hybrid cloud uses a private cloud foundation combined
with the strategic integration and use of public cloud
services.
In the cloud computing, a pattern is used to describe cloud service
models and cloud deployment types in an abstract form to categorize
the offerings of cloud providers. A pattern can be thought of as a
recipe that combines all of the knowledge an organization acquired
during years of complex infrastructure management tasks for
optimizing and automating software deployment. A pattern describes,
in a logical way, a repeatable solution that is based on specific
sets of virtual images, middleware, applications, and runtime
configurations. The result of deploying a pattern is a configured,
tuned, and optimized application environment.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is a method,
computer program product and/or system that performs the following
operations (not necessarily in the following order): receiving an
indication to deploy a first deployment pattern in a subdomain, the
first deployment pattern including a model of a topology, a
corresponding application environment, and a set of desired
capabilities, the subdomain including a plurality of systems;
responsive to the indication to deploy the first deployment
pattern, analyzing characteristics specific to each system of the
plurality of systems, the characteristics including one or more of
the following: capability, location, and capacity; generating a set
of proposed deployment patterns such that each proposed deployment
pattern complies with the set of desired capabilities of the first
deployment pattern, the set of proposed deployment patterns being
based on the analysis of characteristics of the plurality of
systems; and deploying a proposed deployment pattern of the set of
proposed deployment patterns across the plurality of systems in the
subdomain responsive to user-selection of the proposed deployment
pattern. The set of desired capabilities of the first deployment
pattern include one or more of the following: high availability,
continuous availability, disaster recovery, scaling, colocation
policies per component, and anti-colocation policies per
component.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node used in a first embodiment of
a system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a cloud computing environment (also
called the "first embodiment system") according to the present
invention;
FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers used in the first
embodiment system;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment method performed,
at least in part, by the first embodiment system; and
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a machine logic (for example,
software) portion of the first embodiment system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention provides a method for building patterns that
are deployed on multiple systems based on a designated deployment
subdomain. The patterns are built according to information about
the multiple systems in the designated deployment subdomain. The
information includes the locations, capabilities, and capacity of
each of the multiple systems in the designated deployment
subdomain.
This Detailed Description section is divided into the following
sub-sections: (i) The Hardware and Software Environment; (ii)
Example Embodiments; and (iii) Definitions.
I. The Hardware and Software Environment
The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer
program product. The computer program product may include a
computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer
readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to
carry out aspects of the present invention.
The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that
can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction
execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for
example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a
magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
Computer readable program instructions described herein can be
downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations
of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform aspects of the present invention.
Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a
processor of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer,
or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a
machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the
processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto
a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other
device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on
the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to
produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions
which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or
other device implement the functions/acts specified in the
flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the
architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in
the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes
a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the
teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computing
environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are
capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of
computing environment now known or later developed.
Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,
servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines (VMs), and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
Characteristics are as follows:
On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provision
computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as
needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the
service's provider.
Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network and
accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by
heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones,
laptops, and PDAs).
Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to
serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different
physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned
according to demand. There is a sense of location independence in
that the consumer generally has no control or knowledge over the
exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify
location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or
datacenter).
Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elastically
provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and
rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the
capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be
unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.
Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimize
resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of
abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,
processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage
can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency
for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
Service Models are as follows:
Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other
fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
Deployment Models are as follows:
Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an
organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third
party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by several
organizations and supports a specific community that has shared
concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the
general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or
more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique
entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary
technology that enables data and application portability (e.g.,
cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).
A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus on
statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud
computing node is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one
example of a suitable cloud computing node and is not intended to
suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of
embodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, cloud
computing node 10 is capable of being implemented and/or performing
any of the functionality set forth hereinabove.
In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12,
which is operational with numerous other general purpose or special
purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples
of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or
configurations that may be suitable for use with computer
system/server 12 include, but are not limited to, personal computer
systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients,
handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer
systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include
any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context
of computer system executable instructions, such as program
modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program
modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic,
data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Computer system/server 12
may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing
environment, program modules may be located in both local and
remote computer system storage media including memory storage
devices.
As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing
node 10 is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device.
The components of computer system/server 12 may include, but are
not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 16, a
system memory 28, and a bus 18 that couples various system
components including system memory 28 to processor 16.
Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus
structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or
local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of
example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) bus.
Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computer
system readable media. Such media may be any available media that
is accessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both
volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable
media.
System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the
form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30
and/or cache memory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further
include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile
computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage
system 34 can be provided for reading from and writing to a
non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typically
called a "hard drive"). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive
for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic
disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical disk drive for reading
from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such
instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more data
media interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,
memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set
(e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to
carry out the functions of embodiments of the invention.
Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules
42, may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not
limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application
programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the
operating system, one or more application programs, other program
modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include
an implementation of a networking environment. Program modules 42
generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of
embodiments of the invention as described herein.
Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more
external devices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a
display 24, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to
interact with computer system/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g.,
network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 12 to
communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such
communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 22. Still
yet, computer system/server 12 can communicate with one or more
networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area
network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via
network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates
with the other components of computer system/server 12 via bus 18.
It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware
and/or software components could be used in conjunction with
computer system/server 12. Examples include, but are not limited
to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external
disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival
storage systems, etc.
Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment
50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises
one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing
devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal
digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer
54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer system 54N may
communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with one another. They may be
grouped (not shown) physically or virtually, in one or more
networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as
described hereinabove, or a combination thereof. This allows cloud
computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure, platforms and/or
software as services for which a cloud consumer does not need to
maintain resources on a local computing device. It is understood
that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in FIG. 2 are
intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes 10 and
cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type of
computerized device over any type of network and/or network
addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers
provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It
should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and
functions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and
embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted,
the following layers and corresponding functions are provided:
Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software
components. Examples of hardware components include mainframes;
RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers;
storage devices; networks and networking components. In some
embodiments software components include network application server
software.
Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which
the following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual
servers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual
private networks; virtual applications and operating systems; and
virtual clients.
In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions
described below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement
of computing resources and other resources that are utilized to
perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and
Pricing provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the
cloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for
consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may
comprise application software licenses. Security provides identity
verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection
for data and other resources. User portal provides access to the
cloud computing environment for consumers and system
administrators. Service level management provides cloud computing
resource allocation and management such that required service
levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and
fulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud
computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated
in accordance with an SLA.
Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which the
cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads
and functions which may be provided from this layer include:
mapping and navigation; software development and lifecycle
management; virtual classroom education delivery; data analytics
processing; transaction processing; and functionality according to
the present invention (see function block 66a) as will be discussed
in detail, below, in the following sub-sections of this Detailed
description section.
The programs described herein are identified based upon the
application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment
of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any
particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for
convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use
solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by
such nomenclature.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used
herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the
embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement
over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed
herein.
II. Example Embodiments
In an example embodiment, a PureApplication (PureApp) system is
used as an example integrated cloud computing system with built-in
storage, computing, and networking hardware tied together with
managed hypervisors and pattern engine and/or pattern deployment
software. (Note: the term(s) "PureApplication" and/or "PureApp" may
be subject to trademark rights in various jurisdictions throughout
the world and are used here only in reference to the products or
services properly denominated by the marks to the extent that such
trademark rights may exist.)
In some embodiments of the present invention, the cloud computing
system includes an integrated pattern engine that allows users to
group together components (e.g., what ends up being virtual
machines) that are designed to coordinate and build a business
solution. For example, a simple pattern might be composed of an
enterprise software component for application and integration
middleware, database server components, and/or an http web server
front end. The components have definitions that allow them to
discover and communicate with one another. This pattern can be
deployed as many times as the user likes and each time it will
receive different configuration, for example, unique IP addresses,
and so on.
Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing
the capability of grouping together multiple cloud computing
systems to create what is called a deployment subdomain. Within the
deployment subdomain, a single pattern may be constructed in such a
way that its individual components (e.g., VMs) can be distributed
automatically across multiple systems for high availability (HA)
and/or continuous availability (CA) capabilities.
A visual editor (also referred to as a pattern user interface) may
be used for designing, building, and managing patterns. The visual
editor makes it easy to quickly construct and deploy fully
configured, integrated, and dynamic cloud-based environments. In
such a way, components can be dragged and dropped onto a topology
pattern on the visual editor, and the pattern is shown graphically
in the visual editor.
In this example embodiment, information about multiple systems in
the deployment subdomain are received including the system
locations of the multiple systems, capabilities, and capacity to
build an optimized pattern for deployment that meets the desired
capabilities of the patterns.
For example, a user may want to design a pattern that has CA
capabilities. When building the pattern, the user can ask for
pattern assistance and provide the intended subdomain that is going
to be deployed. The subdomain, for example, comprises two systems
with sufficient capacity. The subdomain characteristics are
analyzed, and a pattern using components that have an initial
deployment factor of two (one deployed instance for each of the two
systems) is built. Further, an anti-colocation policy is added to
ensure that each of the deployed components is spread across the
two systems. The anti-colocation policy is something that can be
specified to keep the VMs/components separate from one another to
avoid a single failure (e.g., hardware failure of a compute node),
thus preventing from taking out all the VMs at the same time.
If the subdomain comprises three systems with two in one geographic
region and the third in a more remote location, the pattern may
drive a recommendation, for example, for an active-active-passive
(passive being the third system) configuration, among other
potential alternatives when the pattern supports it.
An active-active configuration implies that both systems are
running and accepting connections and processing requests for
users. Doing this typically requires a shared data infrastructure
like a shared database so changes are always kept in
synchronization. An active-passive configuration or active-standby
configuration implies that one system is running and accepting
connections, and the other system is waiting to take over (but not
accepting connections). Such configuration is usually applied to
scenarios where something is required to be ready in case of a
failure in the active node. In this case, data across both
instances are not shared and both instances are not running at the
same time.
FIG. 4 shows flowchart 400 depicting a method according to the
present invention. FIG. 5 shows program 500 for performing at least
some of the method operations of flowchart 400. This method and
associated software will now be discussed, over the course of the
following paragraphs, with extensive reference to FIG. 4 (for the
method operation blocks) and FIG. 5 (for the software blocks). One
physical location where program 500 of FIG. 5 may be stored is in
storage block 60a (see FIG. 3).
Processing begins at operation 405, where component module ("mod")
505 receives a set of components to be implemented in a deployment
pattern. The deployment pattern, according to some embodiments, is
a model of a topology and application environment that includes
installation, configuration and management of middleware and
applications. The set of components in the deployment pattern may
include, but not limit to, one or more of an application and
integration middleware, a database server, and a HTTP web
server.
Processing proceeds to operation 410, where indication mod 510
receives an indication to deploy the deployment pattern in a
subdomain. The subdomain comprises a plurality of systems that
includes, but not limit to, one or more of an on-premise system, an
off-premise system, and a public cloud provider.
Processing proceeds to operation 415, where capability mod 515
receives desired capabilities of the deployment pattern. The
desired capabilities of the deployment pattern may include, but not
limit to, one or more of the following: high availability,
continuous availability, disaster recovery, scaling across systems,
colocation policies per component and anti-colocation policies per
component. Further, the desired capabilities include an indication
of an active, passive or standby configuration. In this example,
the desired capabilities are identified with reference to a
pre-defined set of capabilities. Alternatively, the desired
capabilities of the deployment pattern are input by a user via a
user interface.
A colocation policy is something that can be specified to ensure
that deployed VMs are physically kept close together, for example
on the same server, thus, performance needs are met. Herein, a node
with the passive configuration (i.e., a passive node) refers to a
node that is almost ready to receive connections, but is not
receiving connections and further does not have the proper pieces
mounted (for example, a database that cannot be shared in an
active-active configuration). At the time of failure, a database
may be mounted to the passive node that becomes active and handles
connections. A standby node refers to a node that is not ready
(e.g., the VM is not yet started), but can be brought up in a
reasonable amount of time to start accepting connections. In this
way the standby node does not consume active CPU and/or memory
resources until it is brought up to take over.
Processing proceeds to operation 420, where analysis mod 520
analyzes characteristics for each cloud computing system of the
plurality of systems in the subdomain. The characteristics for each
system include, but are not limit to, one or more of the following:
capabilities, system locations, latency, high availability
characteristics, capacity, and dependencies.
Processing proceeds to operation 425, where recommendation mod 525
generates a set of deployment pattern recommendations that meet the
desired capabilities of the deployment pattern. The set of
deployment pattern recommendations is based on the analysis of
characteristics of each system of the plurality of systems. Thus,
by combining information from the plurality of systems with the
desired pattern capabilities, a preferred pattern, or set of
deployment patterns, may be built and recommended for deployment
across the plurality of systems in the subdomain.
This example embodiment focuses on a high level pattern
architecture, and the relationship between each of the virtual
machines as part of a pattern (for example a db2 primary and
secondary, multiple processing nodes, and multiple http and/or web
tiers). Further, this example embodiment evaluates the capabilities
of the deployment targets (e.g., the plurality of systems) to make
recommendations as to possible deployment layouts for each VM.
Thus, the desired pattern topology capabilities as requested by a
user may be achieved.
Processing proceeds to end at operation 430, where deployment mod
530 deploys one of the set of deployment pattern recommendations
across the plurality of systems in the subdomain. One deployment
pattern of the set of pattern recommendations may be selected by a
user to be implemented. The user may further customize the selected
pattern to generate a customized deployment pattern. Further, the
customizations made by the user may be rechecked to ensure the
customized pattern meets the requirements of desired capabilities
of pattern before deploying. Further, policies are implemented to
ensure that the deployment continues to meet the desired
capabilities of the pattern.
Some embodiments of the present invention recognize the following
facts, potential problems and/or potential areas for improvement
with respect to the current state of the art: (i) a single pattern
that can be deployed across multiple systems is needed; (ii)
characteristics of multiple systems are required for building a
pattern with high availability and continuous availability; and/or
(iii) a deep understanding of both the workloads being deployed and
the underlying cloud infrastructure and capabilities are
desired.
Some embodiments of the present invention may include one, or more,
of the following features, characteristics and/or advantages: (i)
focusing on a high-level pattern architecture; (ii) concentrating
on the relationship between each of the VMs as part of a pattern
(for example, a database server primary and secondary, multiple
processing nodes, and multiple http and/or web tiers); (iii)
evaluating the capabilities of the deployment targets (for example,
system locations, latency, high availability, capacity,
dependencies, and other related capabilities) to make
recommendations as to possible deployment layouts for each VM; (iv)
meeting the needs of the high level topology of the VMs to achieve
the desired pattern topology capabilities such as active/active,
continuous availability, disaster recovery, scalability and others
as requested by a user; and/or (vi) allowing a user to further
customize the pattern, at which time the system can recheck to
ensure it meets the requirements before deploying.
III. Definitions
Present invention: should not be taken as an absolute indication
that the subject matter described by the term "present invention"
is covered by either the claims as they are filed, or by the claims
that may eventually issue after patent prosecution; while the term
"present invention" is used to help the reader to get a general
feel for which disclosures herein are believed to potentially be
new, this understanding, as indicated by use of the term "present
invention," is tentative and provisional and subject to change over
the course of patent prosecution as relevant information is
developed and as the claims are potentially amended.
Embodiment: see definition of "present invention" above--similar
cautions apply to the term "embodiment."
User/subscriber: includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the
following: (i) a single individual human; (ii) an artificial
intelligence entity with sufficient intelligence to act as a user
or subscriber; and/or (iii) a group of related users or
subscribers.
Computer: any device with significant data processing and/or
machine readable instruction reading capabilities including, but
not limited to: desktop computers, mainframe computers, laptop
computers, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) based devices,
smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), body-mounted or
inserted computers, embedded device style computers,
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based devices.
* * * * *
References